“Was it necessary to kiss her in the hunting-field?” said Sir Charles, with something very like a frown.
“I'd kiss the whole field, grooms and all, if they did you a great service, as that dear lady has,” said Bella. The words were brave, but the accent piteous.
“You are excited, Bella. You had better ride home,” said Sir Charles, gently enough, but moodily.
“Thank you, Charles,” said Bella, glad to escape further examination about this mysterious lady. She rode home accordingly. There she found Mr. Oldfield, and showed him the anonymous letter.
He read it, and said it was a defense, but a disagreeable one. “Suppose he says he wrote it, and the facts were true?”
“But I don't think he will confess it. He is not a gentleman. He is very untruthful. Can we not make this a trap to catch him, sir? He has no scruples.”
Oldfield looked at her in some surprise at her depth.
“We must get hold of his handwriting,” said he. “We must ransack the local banks; find his correspondents.”
“Leave all that to me,” said Lady Bassett, in a low voice.
Mr. Oldfield thought he might as well please a beautiful and loving
woman, if he could; so he gave her something to do for her husband.
“Very well; collect all the materials of comparison you can—letters,
receipts, etc. Meantime I will retain the two principal experts in
London, and we will submit your materials to them the night before the
trial.”